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WARNING: I say the X-33 mach 15 demonstrator, NOT the orbital VentureStar !

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2006/01/x-33venturestar-what-really-happened/

http://www.hobbyspace.com/AAdmin/archive/RLV/2001/RLVNews2001-06-12.html (browse X-33)

http://www.spacetoday.net/Summary/380

Whatif they did ? To me it is one of the great whatif of the space shuttle era (1971 - 2011)

Even suborbital, the X-33 could be used for all kind of military missions. Also, with an expendable uppper stage it could perhaps launch small payloads to Earth orbit. Sounds familiar ? DARPA XS-1 maybe ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XS-1_(spacecraft)
The X-33 would be notably bigger and faster, than the reusable XS-1 stage 1.

An alternative to the Air Force might be DARPA and their RASCAL project
http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/rascal.htm
http://spacenews.com/rascal-contractor-pushes-scaled-back-launcher/
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